JS Group strikes deal with Salford university

The University of Salford has struck a partnership with learning resources provider Aspire Engage, a division of JS Group.

Aspire Engage, part of the academic bookselling group, will partner with the university for a new scheme, Salford Inspire, which aims to encourage more students to choose the institution as their first choice. It will also provide support towards ancillary study costs to help boost student engagement and success.

From the start of the 2018/19 academic year, Salford Inspire will provide students with funds that they can use to purchase recommended learning resources for their courses. JS Group’s Aspire Engage solution will manage the scheme, providing on-campus support to drive engagement and operate an online student store making available a wide range of resources.

In addition, Aspire Engage will also use analytics to track the impact and suitability of the scheme.

“We are really looking forward to working with University of Salford with their emphasis on providing students with real world experiences and their exceptional industry partnerships,” Peter Gray, chairman and c.e.o. of JS Group, said. “Salford Inspire is another way they will be supporting student study and success by providing targeted funding throughout a student’s time at the University."

He added: "Our goal is to provide services that drive student engagement and we look forward to working with the team at Salford in making Salford Inspire a success.”

The announcement comes three months after the academic retail group revealed boosted online sales, although sales remained flat overall after a change in government policy in Botswana hit international revenue.